Lots and lots of people know about Daoism and think it has a lot of cool ideas. But what would it actually look like to live in a Daoist country compared to the United States, or even modern China? Let's do a comparison!
| Daoist Country | U.S.A. | China |
Where most people live | Small villages | Cities | Mega-cities |
Valued gender | Feminine | Masculine | Masculine |
Government type | Local sage-leaders | Federalist democracy | Centralized party-rule |
Technology | Only local, basic technology (farming and construction) | Advanced--society completely dependent upon technological system | Advanced--society completely dependent upon technological system |
Work | Basic jobs for survival | Very specialized jobs within a consumer-driven economic system | Very specialized jobs within a consumer-driven economic system |
Education | Learn from hands-on experience, knowledge is basic and limited to local needs | Trained to be productive within the global economic system; Education must be continuous to stay relevant | Trained to be productive within the global economic system; Education must be continuous to stay relevant |
Military | Minimal, not displayed | Superpower capable of destroying entire countries, constantly displays military might | Superpower capable of destroying entire countries, constantly displays military might |
Virtues | Kindness, moderation, not putting oneself first | Productivity, consumption, individualism | Productivity, consumption, obedience |
Relationship with nature | Live within nature; humans aren't more significant than other beings | Dominate nature; humans are above all | Dominate nature; humans are above all |
Relationship with others | Natural harmony, spontaneous | Transactional, legalistic, manners | Transactional, legalistic, manners |
After looking at this, one thing is obvious, neither the U.S.A. nor China is very Daoist at all. They are really both on the other end of the spectrum of Daoism. In fact, we can see that the U.S.A. and China are in more ways than not, the same as each other. They are both urban, consumer-driven cultures that are obsessed with military power. Productivity is a key virtue in both countries as they vie for superiority.
When we talk about trying to be Daoist within these countries, we can quickly see that the society isn't structured in a way to be truly Daoist. We can try to be Daoist, but living within a non-Daoist country makes it very hard. It takes a lot of practice and awareness to maintain one's Daoist integrity if living in such a place.
Laozi saw over 2400 years ago that society and character would decline as people became more "civilized" and technologically "advanced." We can see the effects of living in a non-Daoist country. People are alienated from each other. There is distrust. The ecosystems are suffering immensely. The global climate is becoming erratic and unstable. People are superficial and contrived. The government is meddling and cares not for the people. Technology is making people full of hate and judgment. It is also making people out of touch with nature and how to live close with nature. It's very difficult for us to see how far gone our non-Daoist civilizations are because many of us believe that ours is the most progressive, superior civilization to have existed. I doubt Laozi would agree at all.